Our route in was by air, unnerving when the young pilot has their guardian angel prominently hanging from the compass in the windscreen. The little Cessna can carry the pilot and five passengers, with each passenger being limited to 12 kilos of luggage - and my camera gear weighs in at ten! Still, with a lodge with 12 volt electrics on the itinerary (Damaraland Lodge) there was no power for chargers so out they went. Nowhere to charge the laptop so that gets left behind too. Eventually I made room for a couple of changes of clothes as well as my toothbrush, my cameras and lenses and enough batteries to last for weeks

The approach to the airstrip showed the isolation of the location - and the Lodge was several miles away from the flat soil the airstrip was on (see our article on Sefofane for more of this remarkable hotel airline). The lodge at Little Kulala is sited on the edge of the Namibian Sand Sea, the Sossusvlei, an area described as one of the top hundred sights of the modern world. Whilst the previously described Damaraland Lodge represented the 'three paw' end of the Wilderness Trust operation, Little Kulala was a 'four paw' Lodge.

Hotel design is based on the use of vernacular local building traditions. Buildings are thatched and spaces are airy and tall to allow for a flow of cooling air during the hot days of the African desert. Unfortunately they also allow the circulation of cooling air on the days when the cold easterly blew. Temperatures in the dry season of June, July and August can be low, daytime heat struggling to reach 18°C (64°F), with night-time temperatures down in single figures. Not surprising that the turndown service includes a hot water bottle in the bed - not something experienced since childhood!

The lodge has a dozen cabins in an arc around a central lager construction housing administration, garaging for the inevitable rattlebox LandRovers, kitchens, dining and other front of house areas. The main lodge has large heavy double entry doors at the top of a flight of wide wooden steps allowing for a theatrical entrance, guests being welcomed with a tray of drinks after the driver has radioed ahead. The entrance lobby contains a simple reception desk and semi-circular walls guide the guest through into the main dining and lounge bar area. The semi circular walls split the space into two loosely defined areas; one dominated by fireplace and bar, and the other the main restaurant area. Both are edged by a broad sheltered terrace that overlooks the waterhole and the plain in front. The view is of the distant mountains and dunes – both being very visible in the clear African air.